[Migraine and the vestibular apparatus (author's transl)]

Thirty patients with simple or ophthalmic migraine had an otoneurological examination. 13% complained of vertigo during attacks of migraine, 17% of giddiness and 6.7% of tinnitus. The usual tests for equilibrium were normal. On electronystagmographical examination 17% of the patients showed only pathological spontaneous nystagmus, 33% only disturbances of caloric response and 7% a combination of both. Audiological testing was normal. The incidence of vestibular disturbances, particularly sensitivity differences of the labyrinths, was significantly greater in the group of patients with migraine than in a control group of 30 healthy persons (P less than or equal to 0.025). On the average, the sensitivity differences, in terms of duration of reactive nystagmus, were greater for these than for the healthy persons (P less than or equal to 0.01). Patients with vestibular disturbances did not show a greater frequency of pathological EEG readings than patients with normal vestibular function. Some hypotheses concerning the pathogenesis of vestibular symptoms as found in migrainous patients are mentioned.